Areas of Interest

Last night, I had a chance to try out King of Tokyo with my friends. It's a simple strategy game, designed by Richard Garfield. Players become giant monsters seeking to dominate Tokyo; only one can prevail!

The components consist of a board; six Monster cards and six corresponding stand-up tokens; eight specially-marked dice; cards, effect tokens, and energy tokens. Play is based on a "King of the Hill" mechanism with one player at a time able to enter Tokyo while the others unite to try to drive him out. The player in Tokyo can't be forced out involuntarily, but he can be killed -- and he gets no natural healing while in the city. The dice are rolled to gain Energy, Health, and Victory points. Three cards are turned face-up, which a player may buy on his turn with Energy tokens. The cards provide special abilities, some indefinite and some not.

The game is fun and quick to play; we got in two games in about an hour (bonus: setup is minimal). I did okay on the first try, but didn't win. In the second game I got killed! Everyone enjoyed it, with lots of monster-related puns flying across the table (I got to say "Release the Kraken!" in play). We were playing with three, but the game can be played with up to six players. The components are very good, except for the energy tokens (tiny plastic cubes, we found them too fiddly). It wouldn't be hard to replace the in-game monster tokens with your favorite kaiju miniatures, and the Tokyo board with 6mm scenics or Lego bricks if you like.

Thanks for pointing this game out. I did some reading on the game, looks like it says 8+ for the recommended age, but if I have a nephew turning 6 later this year who's a hardcore kaiju fan, do you think it's straightforward enough for a slightly younger audience?

Keep in mind it's not tactical at all. As haywire said, it's monster Yahtzee. The most strategizing you do is in selecting which power ups you purchase and which dice to keep or reroll. It's very much a game of odds, with an effective thematic veneer. The "fight" is all in your head rather than on the tabletop, but it's solid, silly fun.